Swindon Council leader Rod Bluh will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) tomorrow with his opposite numbers from Bristol and Cardiff city councils pledging them to more collaboration, especially over economic development.
As revealed in Swindon Business News, the move comes after the three councils lobbied successfully for electrication of the Cardiff-London railway line through Swindon. The three realised they could work closer to give the M4 corridor between Swindon and the Welsh capital a more powerful voice in Westminster and Whitehall on key economic issues.
The Western Way MoU is valid for three years, with five key areas identified where the three authorities can work together:
- To promote the combined economic, environmental, academic and technological strengths to increase investment and improve the productivity of the three economies, ensuring the benefits are felt across all communities;
- To work together to ensure the importance of a high quality of connectivity along the Great Western Main Line/M4 corridor is recognised and supported by national governments. This link is vital to the economic competitiveness of the area and UK plc;
- To promote the complementarity of research, education and scientific institutions, and highlight the national and global contribution the areas make to the knowledge economy;
- To promote the area as a cultural and tourism destination, as well as a gateway to South Wales and the South West of England, including National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty such as the Brecon Beacons, the Cotswolds, the Forest of Dean and the North Wessex Downs;
- To jointly seek to address the shared challenges of dealing with urban growth in the context of climate change through opportunities to deliver exemplary sustainable development.
The signing will take place tomorrow morning at one of Bristol’s leading digital research studios, emphasising the three councils’ shared interests in digital and silicon industries along the M4 corridor.
